1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to surgical instruments and, more specifically, to surgical instruments for surgically joining tissue.
2. Background of Related Art
Surgical stapling instruments used for applying parallel rows of staples through compressed living tissue are well known in the art. These surgical instruments are commonly employed for closing tissue or organs prior to transaction or resection, for occluding organs in thoracic and abdominal procedures, and for fastening tissue in anastomoses.
Typically, such surgical stapling instruments include an anvil assembly, a cartridge assembly for supporting an array of surgical staples, an approximation mechanism for approximating the anvil and cartridge and anvil assemblies, and a firing mechanism for ejecting the surgical staples from the cartridge assembly.
In use, a surgeon generally initially approximates the anvil and cartridge members. Next, the surgeon can fire the instrument to place staples in tissue. Additionally, the surgeon may use the same instrument or a separate instrument to cut the tissue adjacent or between the row(s) of staples. In certain surgical stapling instruments, the instrument sequentially ejects the staples from the staple cartridge while the anvil and cartridge are approximated. The staples are driven through the tissue and formed against the anvil.